To Be Honest with Me
by Raina
Summary: [SoraKairiRiku] Kairi's relationship with Sora seems to have practically laid itself out for her. She likes him, he likes her. But why does everything seem to go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

Title: To Be Honest With Me 

**Rating: M**

**Warnings: Sex, angst, character development, logic**

**Pairings: Sora/Kairi, and Sora/Kairi/Riku**

**A/N: This is not an AU. I repeat, this is not an AU. It's merely a continuation after the end of KH2. I'll try to avoid spoilers, if I can, but you really shouldn't read if you haven't played KH2. Also, the school system will be Americanized. Why? Because I can. Just because KH2 is Japanese made, we really don't have to assume that the school Sora, Kairi, and Riku go to is essentially Japanese. I don't want to risk making a fool of myself, and the plot really depends on what I know of American schools. So, please, no whining. It's not against canon, because it's never stated in canon. Thanks. I do appreciate concrit, as well. -Raina**

"Sora, Riku!" I shouted quickly and dashed to catch up with them.

Their first day back at school, and they hadn't bothered to wait two seconds for me to finish getting ready. I squeezed between them and slowed to a walking pace. Our shoes clicked against the graveled ground. The scent of saltwater hung heavy in the lazy morning air.

"That wasn't very nice," I chided the both of them with a smile and I swung my bag at my side jovially. I wanted to skip, but it seemed so inappropriate at that age.

"You were taking forever," Riku replied patiently. "It's a wonder you're never late."

"Sometimes I am," I laughed. Sora yawned behind me.

"Hey, Kairi, what's high school like?" Sora turned his innocent gaze towards me. His eyes were wide with curiosity and wonder. He looked uncomfortable in the school's uniform.

"Well, it's just like middle school, really. It's hard to explain. Oh! When are both of your lunches?" I turned and walked backwards so I could look at them.

"I have the first lunch," Riku said with a shrug. He didn't look nearly so uncomfortable as Sora. I was amazed.

"Hey, me too!" Sora said eagerly.

"Aw, rats," I said in dismay. I turned to walk forward, though I didn't have quite as much bounce in my step.

"Different lunch?" Riku asked.

"Yeah. I have the second lunch," I smiled weakly and shrugged. "But we'll see each other after school, so it's no big deal."

I wished I had their lunch, though. There was still a bunch of catching up for us to do. School was the unfortunate interruption. When I looked at Sora next, he looked so sad. Perhaps he thought I was more upset than I was? I quickly grinned and waved at him.

"Cheer up, Sora!" I said as reassuringly as I could. "There'll be plenty of time to talk after school. And you've got Riku to keep you company." Riku nodded in support.

Sora laughed. "If you say so, Kairi."

"Yeah. We'll talk about everything after school, even if I have to drag you both here myself."

"I really don't think you could manage that, Kairi," Riku mused dubiously.

In the distance, I saw the school's main building draw closer. Here, the foliage grew a little bit thicker and the sand was not as plentiful. Mint mingled awkwardly with the salt-water smell. Outside the building were clumps of students in various places. Some of them turned to stare at us. It was an awkward feeling for me, but I couldn't imagine how it felt for Riku or Sora.

Unfortunately, I had a feeling that they would be getting stares for a while yet. We quickly walked inside the school. I turned to look at them, asking as seriously as I could manage, "Alright, you know where your first period is?"

"Yes ma'am!" Sora replied quickly.

"Don't call me ma'am, Sora. That's kinda weird. Do you know, Riku?"

"Kairi, stop worrying. We don't need you to hold our hands," Riku replied, trying to assuage my worries.

I smiled ruefully at his sentence. With a quick nod we all split up towards our respective classes. Familiar greetings followed me down the hall. I didn't reply to any of them, but I smiled brightly at each one.

I was lonely.

I sat down in one of the desks with a heavy clump. My bag fell to the floor carelessly and I slumped forward over the desk. The board random 'I love you' messages written on it. The white chalk lay on the floor with neat little piles of dust around it. Students made their way in. There was a new student among familiar faces, though I didn't pay much attention to him.

A few minutes later, the weary teacher walked in. He pulled his Oxford sleeves up past his elbow and clapped his hands together. In the corner of his eyes were the fine lines of laughing wrinkles. His grayed hair was neatly combed to the side. He walked with a hunched back and a slight drag to his step.

"Alright, class, after one announcement, we will be continuing where we left off," the teacher, Mr. Helms, stated with his deep, booming voice. "Mr. Tribal, come to the front, please."

The desk scratched against the floor as he stood up and made his way to the front. I tried to look at him without moving an inch. He was short, and had shoulder length blond hair. His sleeves were cut off and his tie was barely tied. He grinned mischievously at all of them.

"Well?" the teacher asked, impatient.

"Yeah?" he asked black and then a look of comprehension came across his face. "Oh, sorry. Name's Zidane. Just came from Trezevant."

I could barely focus on what he was saying. The tail was distracting me. I had seen tails before, but the tail was always on something that didn't even vaguely resemble a human. It threw me off.

"Do you have any interests?"

"Well, I do, but I don't think that's really worth sharing right here." Zidane winked at me and I sat up with a surprised start.

"Very funny. Go sit down."

He flourished his hand and made a mock bow before going to his seat. I couldn't help but stare as he passed. He grinned at me. There was a sharp rapping from the front and I looked back towards Mr. Helms. He cleared his throat loudly.

"Alright, it's time to try to apply some of the concepts we've learned over the year. I know some of you have been looking forward to this project," he trailed off. The silence of many people holding their breath was a shock. I could hear Zidane snicker in the back.

"We're going to begin the trebuchet project. For those who are not familiar-" he glanced towards the back of the room, "with this project, I will be pairing you into groups of two. Your goal will be to build a functioning trebuchet. They will be tested in six weeks time. Now, here are your groups."

I couldn't focus on the drone of his voice anymore. The project's announcement was enough to depress me. I was terrible at building. I could research well enough and find supplies (or tell other people what supplies were needed), but I was terrible at building. It would be my luck to have a partner who was as horrible at it as me.

"Kairi!" I looked up. I'm sure I had a dumb expression on my face. "You'll be helping our new student, Mr. Tribal."

I looked back at him and he waved. I forced a grin and looked towards the front.

"Yes sir."

"That said, get in your groups. You'll have twenty minutes to work on your project."

I looked back at Zidane again and heaved a sigh. I didn't want to move, I was very comfortable, but there was no available seat for him beside me. There were, unfortunately, plenty of seats back by him for me. I stood up and moved to a seat next to him. I had a feeling he was the sort of person who didn't like to focus on the task at hand.

"Hi," I said brightly. "I'm Kairi."

"I kinda figured, since he said my partner was, you know, Kairi," he replied good-naturedly.

I laughed. "Oh, yeah. Duh. So, um, I have to ask this. Are you any good at building?"

"Yeah. Why? You aren't?" he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Absolutely terrible."

We laughed together.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: To Be Honest With Me 

**Rating: M**

**Warnings: Still the same.**

**A/N: Thanks to my reviewers last chapter. :3 I'm glad there's a love for the OT3. Anyway, I should note this, because there's a very, very good chance that chapters will come very slow. This project is very much a spare time thing. I have a novel I'm working on, and in between edits from my beta, I write on this story. However, my work has decided to go ahead and make me full-time. By the time I get to the end of the summer, I'll be off to my first year of college with an 18-hour load. So, please don't lose heart. I'm just offering an early explanation. :3 Please enjoy.**

I had agreed to do the research, with some minor help from Zidane and he had agreed to do the building. I would hand him nails or hammers or whatever he might need. The set up was really much better than I could have hoped.

Once I sat by myself at lunch, it became even more apparent how lonely I was. Even Selphie had a different lunch. I gazed at all the different people, each lost in their own conversations. How had I never realized that the lunchroom was so desolate before then?

I had just unwrapped my peanut butter and jelly sandwich when Zidane sat across from me. He sat down deliberately and greeted me warmly. "Fancy seeing you here!"

I smiled weakly, afraid that he was going to insist on talking about first period. The idea of talking about the trebuchet was not a welcome one to my mind. "Um, hi." He grinned wider and took a bite out of his cheeseburger.

After a moment, he swallowed and continued talking. "I don't really know anyone else yet. This place is just a little different."

"How so?" I asked curiously. Trezevant must have been a long ways away, because I had never heard of it before. His tail flicked and I had to resist the urge to ask him about it. No doubt if Sora ever met him, that would be the first question Sora asked.

Sora would tilt his head to the side as he towered over Zidane, his blue eyes misted over with curiosity. I imagine he would wonder if Zidane were really a monkey in disguise. Or perhaps a chimpanzee. If that idea failed to appeal to him, he'd probably think that all of us were born with tails.

His eyes would probably grow as wide as they possibly could. He'd pull me aside later, all the while giving furtive glances in Zidane's direction. He'd look at me, his eyebrows knitted together as he tried to find the way to phrase his question. After awhile, he'd give up with an excited sigh and ask, "Did we have tails when we were little?"

Or rather, the old Sora would have. I imagine he probably would still think Zidane was really a monkey in disguise. I couldn't help considering that either. When I stopped staring at that spot on the bench, I noticed that he was looking at me, an eyebrow quirked. He had the tiniest hint of a smile, and his chin was drawn town, so he could pretend he was looking down at me.

"What?" I asked defensively.

He smirked and shrugged lazily. I blushed, horrified at what he thought I was really staring at. "W-wait!" I stammered and he laughed. My face grew redder and my eyebrows furrowed together. "I wasn't looking at that!" I insisted.

He tilted his head to the side innocently and asked in a saccharinely sweet voice, "Looking at what, Kairi?" I hunched my shoulders and crossed my arms. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea about me.

"Stop it," I pleaded suddenly. He laughed.

"I haven't done anything. You're the one getting upset." I relaxed and shook my head at him. He continued to laugh.

"So, what was Trezevant like?" I asked. It was time to change the subject, because we were treading towards subjects I didn't want to talk about.

"It was a school. The periods were managed a bit different, and it was much bigger, but it was a school."

"That's all you did? I mean, you only went to school? You didn't have any friends?"

"Oh, I had a group of friends. We called ourselves Tantalus," his voice sounded sad. It was the first time he'd ever really sounded sad around me.

"Why'd you move?" My eyebrows raised and I was frowning. I wanted to appear sympathetic, but I hope I didn't look like he'd just kicked my puppy.

"My aunt wanted to get away from the city, so she came here. I came with her."

I wanted to ask about his parents, but it seemed really inappropriate. He had taken to actually eating his lunch. He didn't look sad anymore, at least. I looked down at my own lunch and shrugged. I was hungry too.

The rest of the school day was uneventful. Just as I'd feared, Sora wasn't in any of my classes. I waited outside the main entrance. Students streamed past me, some jostled me, and others shouted back and forth and created a ruckus. I hoped Sora or Riku showed up before I got trampled.

Soon enough, Sora walked out and I ran up to him, asking over the din, "Where's Riku?"

Sora glanced back at the school and shouted back, "He got stopped by the football coach, I think."

"I wonder why he didn't stop you," I mused aloud.

"Football? Me? Are you kidding?" he asked with wide eyes and a quick shake of his head. "I'm not getting tackled to death over a stupid ball." We laughed.

"Yeah, but you'd probably be really good at it, Sora. You're the keyblade master!" I joked.

"Yeah, but that only helps for beating up heartless and nobodies, not running around with a ball."

I laughed again and we started the walk to the beach. We didn't even have to say, "We're going to the beach!" It was understood. I was glad that my friends were back. I walked close to Sora.

"You think Riku will do it?" Sora asked with a small smile.

"Play football? I dunno. He might. I think he'd like the swim team more, though. But I don't know if Riku's cut out for sports anymore," I said, trying my best to sound sage. Sora looked at me with a quirked eyebrow and I blushed in embarrassment. "I dunno."

He shrugged and stopped as we got to the beach. I walked a little further, closer to the water and sat down. From here, I could see the island that we played on as kids. Those were fond memories, I mused to myself. Sora sat next to me after a moment. I leaned my head against his shoulder without even realizing it.

When I looked up, I could tell he was blushing. I was too, but he didn't move.

"So, do you miss them?" I asked.

"Yeah," he mumbled and looked down at me, curiously. I smiled. Poor Sora, his new best friends separated from him by worlds. Maybe Donald and Goofy were thinking of him too, right then. I thought they were, and I think Sora thought they were too.

He looked back towards the island, and so did I. We sat in silence for I don't know how long. The sun had sunk some, and the waves had come closer to us. They were touching our shoes. I wanted to bask in the sun forever, just Sora and me. I felt more comfortable lying against him than I had all day. My blush grew.

Riku joined us some time later. He sat down on the other side of me and I lifted my head to look at him. He looked smug.

"So, what happened?" Sora asked curiously. I stifled a yawn. I hadn't realized I was so tired.

"I told him I'd think about it," Riku said with only cursory glance at me. I smiled weakly.

"Are you really going to think about it?" I asked and forced myself to sit up straight, though Sora's shoulder was very comfortable.

"No. I'm not going to do it. He wouldn't take no for an answer, though." He grinned and stood up again, to pace. I looked at Sora in confusion and Sora shrugged as wel.

"What's wrong, Riku?" I pushed my hair out of my face. It was all in tangles from the wind. Riku's hair already looked like it was in tangles.

"Pent up energy. I haven't sat still for so long in forever. I've gotta walk or do something," he replied helplessly.

I laughed at his explanation and smiled warmly. Riku could be so adorable when he wanted to, I realized. "Oh, so Sora can be calm, and you're the one that needs to race around?" I jumped up and abandoned my bag.

I fiddled with my shoes and socks, until they were both off. Sora and Riku stared at me, and I smiled at them. The wet sand between my toes felt wonderful.

"Let's race, then, Riku." He stared at me in disbelief as Sora jumped up, his face filled with excitement.

"Don't forget me!"

I nodded and quickly shouted, "Go!" Sora and I took off running, and Riku ran after moments later. I looked forward, running as fast as I could. It didn't shock me when Sora pulled past me. I laughed and watched him stop with a smug look on his face. Riku was right behind me. I stopped and fell onto my knees with a gasp for air.

Riku offered me his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

To Be Honest With Me 

**A/N: Wow. You know how hard I had to resist putting in random notes towards the end of this chapter? Anyway, to the real point of even HAVING an author's note this chapter, I'd like to point out that I'm changing the rating. It's not worth the risk of having FFN take down my story because of the one mature element I am currently planning on including. When it gets to that point, I'll link it for my readers, but not now. If the rating ever deserves being changed back, I will do it. After all, knowing my desire to angst everything out, you really never know.**

I loved Sora and Riku being back. Races were one of our many activities. We often went to the island to explore the areas we played in as kids. Sometimes, I really think we thought we were still kids. When we ran out of areas to explore, we sat on the beach and talked.

Every afternoon was exquisite. Well, until Mr. Helms reminded us that we had two weeks until our projects were due.

The realization shocked me and I looked back at Zidane. He looked utterly serene compared to my look of utter panic. There was so much for me to still research, and he didn't look the least bit worried. Mr. Helms sneered at the class. He must have felt so triumphant. I didn't want to think of all the time I was going to be spending on a computer that night.

The bell rang and I stood up. My knuckles were white from the grip I had on my notebook. I hadn't wanted to talk to Zidane, but I could hear the conversation coming before he was even standing. He smiled at me and I laughed weakly.

As he passed me, he said, "Don't worry. I know you'll get all the information we need. After all, we do have two weeks left."

"At the rate we're going, we may as well have two days left," I insisted pointedly.

He shrugged. "I was trying to be encouraging," he whispered with a sly grin. He turned and headed towards his second period class. I was thunderstruck He really must not care about his grade. This project, as Mr. Helms had gleefully told us several times, would be our pass or fail.

I planned my afternoon to the tee. I would get at least most of the research out of the way that night, and then I would figure out what information we truly needed, and what could be ignored. I had all the factors worked out, and there was no chance that I would get distracted. That was what I told myself until the end of the day.

But I had forgotten one factor: Sora.

When I walked outside, he was there waiting on me. His tie was halfway undone, and he looked relaxed. His blue eyes were lazily scanning the campus. He yawned and turned to look at me, a smile creeping onto his face. I smiled back and felt a familiar pang in my chest. We approached each other and he spoke first.

"Riku said he had to go home early today." The din around us seemed to fade into nothingness. I couldn't look away from his eyes. My plans suddenly felt like a dirty secret, and I had to force myself to think of them and not Sora. It was so hard now that he was standing in front of me.

I sighed sadly at the inevitable. "Actually Sora, I do too."

"Oh." The smile vanished from his face almost instantly and he looked away from me. He no longer looked relaxed.

"Oh, Sora." I looked down at the ground and closed my eyes. I couldn't do it. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend the entire afternoon with him. I looked back at him. "You can come home with me too, okay? Just, please don't frown like that."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and shook his head with a sad smile. "Alright."

We looked towards the path and began walking towards the center of town, where I lived with my adoptive mother. The breeze that blew against us felt heavy and damp. I looked up at the sky. Dark gray clouds crowded on the edge of the horizon. The thunder could just barely be heard in the distance. When I looked at Sora, I could see the reflection of the sky in his eyes.

We walked in silence. I felt rather guilty for wanting to spend the whole day with Sora. Riku's absence was noticeable and I wanted to ignore it. If he were there, though, I would probably have felt just as guilty. That's what I told myself as I forced my thoughts towards the research.

The sand shifted underneath our feet and the rocks scratched against each other. Sunlight danced across Sora's hair. The light winked before being swallowed up by a cloud. Sounds of waves drifted away as we walked towards town and further away from the beach. Sora's face looked grave and pale. My face probably looked the same.

As we neared my home, I wanted to tell him to go home. There seemed to be nothing to gain from him looking as serious as he did. He looked at me and smiled widely, though I think it was because he knew I was studying his expression.

"Aw, don't look like that, Kairi."

I looked away and busied myself with finding my house key. "And how am I supposed to look?" I asked with a laugh. "I think I lost my house key," I lied. I didn't want him to know that I had really been thinking about telling him to go away. I'd rather him think that I was preoccupied with my house key.

After a few moments, we were inside. Had it been sunny, the rooms would have been illuminated with light from the many windows surrounding the main entrance. But they were shadowed and I turned on the light. I placed my bag on the couch and Sora stood awkwardly off to the side. There were traces of a blush on his face.

I went to get my laptop and brought it back into the living room, where Sora had not moved an inch. He was staring at all of my mother's paintings as if they actually interested them. Though, who was I to say that they didn't? He had changed so much, perhaps they really did. I sat on the couch and motioned for him to sit next to me. He moved slowly, hesitating every few seconds and he never quite sat down. He sat perched on the edge of his seat, waiting.

"What are you writing, Kairi?" He asked, though it looked like he asked the laptop, because he was staring at that now. I wanted him to look at me.

"Nothing. I'm trying to find some information on trebuchets," I explained and focused on the laptop. The laptop clicked silently as I pressed the keys. I wondered if Sora were expecting something. I imagine he hadn't expected to come to my house so he could sit on the couch and watch me study. I looked back at him.

"Sora, you look kind of uncomfortable." I pushed the laptop to the side and moved closer to him.

"It feels weird being here without your mom or dad around," he said apologetically. He looked at me, finally. I smoothed my skirt and looked away. I should have sent him home. There was nothing in my plans that would keep his interest, so I really should have sent him home, for his sake.

But for mine, I invited him to come home with me. "That's alright. They know you, Sora."

"But I still feel weird." When I looked back at him, he wasn't looking at me anymore. Was this how best friends should act, I asked myself, all pomp and circumstance and never quite able to look each other in the eye?

"So, what's a trebuchet?"

"It's like a catapult," I answered automatically. I looked at the laptop and noticed that the screen had shut off. I told myself to send him home, but when I looked back at him I couldn't do it. "You know, I found some pictures from ages ago. Do you wanna see them?"

Sora nodded and I ran to my room. From the pit of my stomach, I could feel the nervousness welling up. I wasn't going to manage any research. At least, not until Sora left. I searched for the album with the photos. I didn't find them and returned to Sora, my shoulders were slumped from defeat. "Ok, I guess I don't have the pictures."

He was slightly more relaxed now. He didn't look like he was about to run at any moment anymore. I sat down next to him. In fact, I probably sat too close. But I wanted to lean against him like I had after the first day of school. His eyes were no longer looking at me.

"Sora, what's wrong?" I asked insistently.

"Wrong? Nothing. I'm just thinking, really."

"About what?" I turned towards him. Our knees touched and I could feel his body heat.

"About… I'm not sure. I guess about how weird it is to be here again." I felt like I was only being told half of the story, but that much made me hopeful about the other half that was yet to be said for both of us.

"Yeah. To go from being the keyblade master to a ninth grader? It's enough to make anyone's head spin."

He looked at me and shook his head. I was missing the point, I realized. I fell silent and stared at him. "My head's not spinning, I'm not confused. I'm not even bored like Riku. I keep expecting to hear from Donald and Goofy, or even King Mickey. After everything we did, I kind of expected everything to be different. It is in some ways, but not like I hoped. I promised a lot of people I'd see them again, and now it's like something is missing. I feel kind of—"

"Sora, it does sound like you're bored and if you are, what's to feel bad about?"

He pressed his lips together in frustration and I knew that I'd missed the point for the second time. "Kairi, I thought about you and Riku a lot while we were traveling. I thought we would never be together again and now that we are," he trailed off and looked at my skirt.

Was he feeling guilty because there were still heartless around? Because there had to be heartless if there were still so many different worlds? I was scared to try and soothe him again. What if he gave me another frustrated, 'were you even listening' look? I stared at his hair. But then, it occurred to me that perhaps Sora didn't want my understanding.

He just wanted support. I leaned forward and hugged him. His shoulders stiffened and relaxed. I could almost hear him smile. His smell, that familiar mix of his mom's laundry detergent and him, surrounded me. He hugged me back and I'd never felt so close to him. Nor had I ever felt quite so alone at that point.

He pulled away from my hug and I noticed that he looked sad and confused. I had invited him to my house because I couldn't stand to see him look sad, and now my entire plan had backfired on me. I couldn't let him go. His words from before drifted back to me. _I thought about you_. He turned to get up and I pulled him back down and held him close to me.

He didn't struggle against my show of affection. The rain started to pour and the thunder acted as a siren for the suddenly dark day. Eventually, Sora leaned his head against my bosom. I stroked his hair and we both took comfort in each other's presence. Sometime that night, the laptop fell on the floor and I leaned against the armrest. Sleep eventually overcame Sora.

Even looking at his peaceful figure resting against mine, I still couldn't tell how I really felt.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I made it to Chapter four! Go me! Awesome! Though, really thinking out the plot for this story and the way everything is going now… I'm thinking this will only be a 15 chapter story, tops. There aren't too many twists and turns that I plan on taking. ;) Anyway, towards the end of this chapter, I started listening to Killing Lights by AFI. Really good song. Not sure if it fits the end of the chapter, but I like it, damnit. :D Anyway, as always, please review and enjoy!**

"Kairi, wake up," Zidane whispered into my ear and I jumped in surprise. I put some distance between me and him, while he just stood there laughing. I frowned and wiped the sweat from my brow.

"That wasn't nice, Zidane," I commented, annoyed. I ran a hand through my hair and then crossed my arms and tapped my foot. "What'd you do that for, anyway?"

"Well, I've been asking for a hammer for about ten minutes while you were off in la-la land," he said and shook his head while grinning. Then he reached down and grabbed the hammer from the tool box.

"Oh… Well why didn't you say so?" I asked before I could stop myself. He burst out laughing and I covered my eyes with my hand. "Stop."

Over the course of the week, I did manage to get my research done. I had to make sure that Sora and Riku were gone to do so, but I did. It had been a lonely week. Right then, the frame for the trebuchet was almost completed. Zidane was making finishing touches. Then we, and by 'we' I mean 'he', would work on the arm and counter weight. The sling I had made myself.

I had to do something or else I was going to feel terrible. As it was, I felt rather guilty that he was covered in dirt and sweat, while I was only starting to feel damp. He went back to hammering diligently at the base and I sighed.

"So, what's been bugging you, Kairi?" he asked. I looked at him and noticed that he wasn't looking at me.

"Oh, I don't know, Zidane. I guess…," I trailed off, not sure how to phrase the thoughts that had been plaguing me then. Actually, they weren't really a plague but more like a fantasy that had only become more intense.

He stopped hammering and looked up at me. I smiled and shrugged at his quizzical look. It was hot and sweat was dripping down his face, which he hastily wiped off with his hand. I could feel the light prickles on my back.

"Anyway, I think we're about done. I'm thinking a break would be pretty good," he said as he stood up with a long, languid stretch. I nodded. Of course a break sounded good. It probably would have sounded better to me if I had done any real work.

Between spacing out, I was always thinking of the ever looming due date for the stupid weapon. As Zidane moved under the shade of a near-by tree, I went to the long piece of wood and dragged it to the center of the clearing, where all the cutting tools were. He watched me with raised eyebrows and slack shoulders.

With a yawn he came towards me. "So much for a break…"

"Zidane!" I chided. "I was just getting ready. Go sit down or get some water or something, alright?"

"It won't be any fun if I sit there by myself," he replied with a sly grin. I blushed and dropped the wood with a plop.

"Fine," I muttered and followed him to the shade. The cool air was nice and with the sun not beating on my face anymore, I could tell I was getting a sunburn. I smiled to myself. Of course it would make sense that I would get a sunburn when I hadn't been at the beach. How long had we been out there?

"So, what's bothering you?" He asked as soon as I had sat down. He tugged on his shirt before he plopped down next to me. His face was undeniably red, too.

"Oh, well, just friend issues," I said with an airy wave of my hand. I looked away from him and at the empty-looking frame.

"Huh. Well, anyway, for counterweight we'll use sand. There's lots of it around, and that'll probably be better than using rocks."

"Uh-huh," I said softly as I pulled my knees to my chest. I remembered Sora sleeping so peacefully. No matter how misguided I was, I was thinking about how he had been so completely _mine_. I wanted to feel like that again, but I couldn't look at him for more than a second before I looked away.

He hadn't looked at me, either. I think Riku had made some sarcastic remark about it. Something about how he suddenly felt like the center of attention. I guess we both looked at him because we didn't want to look at each other.

Well, I wanted to look at Sora, I just couldn't. I pursed my lips as the same image I had been seeing more and more of popped into my head. I was glad I was red. Zidane couldn't possibly see my blush. Thinking about Sora brought up lots of inappropriate scenes in my imagination.

Zidane was looking at me strangely, I noticed finally. "Huh?" I asked and let go of my knees. He wagged his finger with a shake of his head.

"Come on now, Kairi. You're the one who's supposed to be all business and no play, not me!"

"Huh?" I asked again with my mouth wide open. I was still caught between imagination and reality. "Oh! Sand is good, we can use that. Is the break over already?"

He laughed at me. I've done stupid things, but I haven't ever really acted like such an airhead. I was starting to feel like Selphie. "Zidane, stop," I pleaded. "I've just been having problems with Sora and it's been bugging me."

He smirked and held out a hand to me. I took his hand gratefully. "Then maybe you should work on solving them instead of thinking about it," he said with a mischievous air as he turned towards the wood. "We're going to need to something to prop this up so I can cut it."

"How do you know I can solve these problems?" I asked as I grabbed one of the concrete blocks and lifted it with a heavy grunt.

"Well, problems generally have solutions, Kairi," came his bemused reply. I set the block down and went to grab the other one.

"Well, this one doesn't feel like it has a solution that won't completely wreck all my friendships," I replied in frustration. Zidane didn't answer and I set the block down next to the other one. He arranged them and propped the wood on them and grabbed the saw.

As the saw hummed and cut into the wood, I waited patiently. He cut the hole so he could attach the arm to the frame and I was still waiting, with my knees awkwardly together and my hands behind my back.

He attached the sling and cut another hole for the counterweight. I was still standing behind him, my hands at my side and rocking back and forth on the heels of my feet. He glanced back at me with a smirk as he laid the last nail into the frame.

The trebuchet was complete except for the counterweight.

He stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. "Maybe, Kairi, you should rethink what you really want."

"But what if I want the best of both worlds?" I asked as I wrung my hands nervously. He shook his head and rolled his eyes at me.

"Women," he muttered in frustration. I pushed his arm lightly and laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I turned my gaze over the wood. Reaching down, I grabbed the left over pieces of string. He hadn't used the full length of my sling.

"It means that women are frustrating, to say the least."

"What makes you think you know anything about girls, hmm?" I placed my hands on my hips and quirked an eyebrow. "Just because you can flirt with us, that doesn't make you an expert!"

"I know a little from here and there. After all, do you think you're the first person to ask my opinion about something?" I frowned at him and folded my arms. "Well, you're not," he insisted.

"Well, never mind that. When do you want to meet about the counterweight? We've only got a few days left," I reminded him.

He tapped his finger to his chin and looked towards the sky, which was now purple and growing darker by the second. "Day after tomorrow."

We parted minutes later, and my first thought was to run to the beach in hopes that Riku and Sora would both be waiting on me. I was glad when I saw that they had. They were both soaking wet and covered in dirt and sand. They waved at me from the water, or Riku did. Sora was too busy laughing about something else to notice me.

I walked to the edge of the waves where Riku greeted me. "How'd the project go? Looks like you didn't do a bit of work," he laughed.

"I did too." I smiled and winked at him. "I carried heavy concrete blocks and pieces of wood three times my size."

"Yeah right, Kairi," Sora said warmly as he joined us. "So, coming in? Water's not bad."

"Yeah right! And get dirty like you and Riku? No way." I waved my hand at them as I turned to walk away, but Sora grabbed it and held me there. Riku grabbed me around my waist and carried me, kicking and screaming, to the water. He let me go when the water was to both of our waists.

I pouted and splashed him. Sora snuck around behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist before he ducked under the water and dragged me with him. When we reemerged, Riku laughed at me and plucked a piece of seaweed out of my hair. "I think you're worse than us, Kairi," he commented sagely.

I splashed him again, and I turned to face Sora, whose arms were still around me and placed my hands on his shoulders. I attempted to simply push him down in the water. It seemed like a good idea at the time. But then I noticed how close we were, and those same thoughts from before ruined the fun we had just been having.

I pulled away from him and began trudging towards the dry sand. "Come on, guys," I shouted back to them. "Let's build a sand castle."

I did want Sora. I wanted him to be all mine, but I couldn't ignore Riku. I knew he was pretending to not have noticed anything amiss. I didn't want to pick favorites with my best friends. But, hadn't it always been that way? Hadn't I always showed just a little more enthusiasm for Sora?

I couldn't leave Riku behind. Not again.


End file.
